At the end of each year, we ask co-op and mutual leaders from around the world to reflect on their organisation and sector – and this year, on the UN International Year of Cooperatives theme: Co-ops Build a Better World. Read the December 2024 Q&As here.
How do co-ops and other EO businesses build a better world?
Co-operatives are a powerful tool for creating a more just and sustainable world, offering an alternative to exploitative economic systems. Among the various co-operative models, worker co-ops stand out by ensuring that the benefits of labour stay within local communities, primarily benefiting workers, their families, and regional economies. These co-ops operate through democratic decision-making, where workers have a voice in how profits are shared and how the business is run.
Unlike traditional corporations, which prioritise profits for distant shareholders, worker co-ops keep wealth and power in the hands of those who create it. Co-operatives, including worker-owned businesses, co-op purchasing groups, farming, banking, and land trusts, are central to the social solidarity economy – an inclusive movement rooted in equity, sustainability, and democracy.
The Social Solidarity Economy leverages co-operative models to transform everyday work and promote environmental and digital stewardship. As billionaires work to consolidate power and wealth, often dividing us in the process, worker and consumer co-ops offer a hopeful alternative. By prioritising solidarity over division, they show that collaboration, not competition, is the key to a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
What would you like to see happening 2025 in terms of a co-op and EO economy and how is your organisation working toward that?
The world is reeling from the collapse of neoliberal economics, and the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) provides a platform to offer a clear alternative to the capitalist status quo. In this moment of global discontent, people are rejecting corporate consolidation, wealth inequality, and environmental depletion. Voters worldwide are turning away from incumbent parties, seeking new solutions. Co-operatives present a compelling model for shared prosperity, rooted in values of equity, democracy, and sustainability.
At the ICA Global Co-op Conference in New Delhi, I emphasised the contrast between the co-operative future and the exploitative practices of capitalism. By harnessing global discontent, we can grow the
co-operative movement from the grassroots. At the USFWC, we are committed to educating institutions about the benefits of co-operatives, highlighting how they offer higher wages, wealth-building, and greater community resilience.
We are also working with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA-Clusa) and Cicopa to advocate for policy changes that support co-op development. Through networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, we aim to strengthen our movement. In the coming year, we will bring stories from our diverse membership to influential spaces in Washington, D.C., New York, and other centres of power, showcasing how co-ops are transforming lives and advocating for a just, equitable global future.
